Most people are absolutely terrible at picking out a gift that means a damn to the recipient. Stephen Colbert, the self-declared "King of Christmas," is not one of those people. In a fresh interview for Face the Nation, Colbert detailed the touching sentiment behind his 2016 Xmas gift to his predecessor, David Letterman.
"When I first came into this theater—and Dave was still here—we came in on a Saturday morning at 8:00 or something because we had to think about what changes we were going to be making before they left," Colbert said Sunday. "I walked around stage. I was there with my manager, James Dixon and my wife, Eve. And we just walked around thinking, 'Where would I want to stand?'"
After searching along the darkened stage for the right spot from which to deliver his opening bits each night, Colbert moved "a large pile of boxes" and found a place that had the right vibe. "I was standing where he [Letterman] stood," Colbert said. "I thought, 'Oh, this just feels right.' There're places onstage where you feel like you're communicating with everybody, and it's hard to explain. It just feels right. And that spot just felt right."
Beneath Colbert's feet was a small red dot marking Letterman's nightly target. During Ed Sullivan Theater renovations ahead of Colbert's Late Show debut, the new staff decided to have the square of tile removed and framed. "I haven't it hung it on the wall," Colbert said, noting that the framed tile had been leaning against a wall inside his office since he moved in. "That's Dave's. So I sent it to him for Christmas."
